5 must-see bands at Festival at the Farm

Thursday

Sep 14, 2017 at 12:41 PMSep 14, 2017 at 12:50 PM

By Chad Berndtson/For The Patriot Ledger

You can’t lose with Festival at the Farm, which for $75 for a two-day pass gets you national headliners and some of the best in local bands at beautiful Prowse Farm in Canton. How do you not like a lineup that includes Brett Dennen, Martin Sexton, Ryan Montbleau, The Wood Brothers and Dwight & Nicole, to name just those you can count on one hand?

Still, if pressed, we’d say it’s a good idea – nay, essential – to make time for at least these five performers out of the 17 bands, who’ll perform on Saturday and Sunday. (Times subject to change)

Julie Rhodes: I remember the first time I heard Woburn native Rhodes sing the blues standard “Grinnin’ In Your Face,” and not being the least bit surprised that she’d been recording at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals with a gallery of well-known industry talents. Rhodes is the real deal; come hear her cook. 3 p.m. Saturday.

Lee Fields and the Expressions: Did you know that Lee Fields, sometimes called “little JB” given his vocal resemblance to James Brown, released his first music in 1969, recorded for 13 different labels, and has been delivering honest-to-goodness soul for close to a half-century? Listen and learn. 7 p.m. Saturday.

Matthew Stubbs and the Antiguas: Guitar slinger Stubbs has been a name around these parts for many years, and has been touring for the better part of a decade with blues legend Charlie Musselwhite. More recently, though, his band The Antiguas has been a tasty breakout, lighting up Monday nights at Cambridge’s The Sinclair and preparing to release a full-length album in January 2018. 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Twisted Pine: As its moniker might suggest, Twisted Pine is a bluegrass band that both holds up and gently subverts tradition. You’ll get plenty of twangy flights from the four-piece string crew, but you’ll also get more of an indie rock and pop sensibility framed by bluegrass instrumentation. Come for the chops, stay for the charming-as-hell vocal harmonies between guitarist Rachel Sumner and fiddle player Kathleen Parks. 3 p.m. Sunday.

The Marcus King Band: South Carolina’s Marcus King is barely 21 and a rising star as a guitar and vocal phenom not unlike his mentor, Allman Brothers Band alumnus and Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes. His band is a ferocious crew that injects psychedelia into R&B and blues and likes to jam hard and long with plenty of jazz and soul asides, Allmans-style. 9:30 p.m. Sunday.